Union Partnership
by Death7270
Summary: Dredd and Anderson. A partnership that gets closer that either expected. Will Dredd fraternise?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Judge Dredd, Dredd (Movie) or 2000 AD (Comic). Wish I did but. :)

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**THANKS FOR READING: Please comment &amp; review.**

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After the whole "Peach Trees" incident the streets in the surrounding area became heavily watched by the Judges.

Not for more than a decade had an entire mega-block been gang free and the Judges were intending to keep things that way for as long as possible.

Working out from the base of Peach Trees; Judges cracked down on everything; murder, drugs, illegal weapons and prostitution. It was not a crime free area but it was a gang free one.

With Slow-Mo off the market and no other producers of the illicit substance, hospitals and med-centres alike were inundated with withdrawal sufferers (chronic headache, tremors and altered perception of time were just a few of the nasty side effects coming down from the drug).

Judge's assigned to the wards would be alerted that an addict had been admitted and after two days of detox they would be taken for interrogation. The sheer number of addicts being processed all at once was a huge burden on the already stretched thin force but the council wanted the area under tight control and the users of the streets and their dealers in jail.

Those that gave up 'useful' information on their dealers and such were only given five years in the Iso-Cubes for use/misuse of prohibited narcotics. Those that refused to give up any information, mostly hardcore gang members and dealers that had been sampling their own product were locked in a small room with Judge Dredd and the freshly minted Judge Anderson.

Many upon seeing Dredd spilled the beans there and then; all those that saw Anderson laughed for a very short period before being mind-raped for information and left screaming with a twenty year sentence of hard labour.

It was a tiring process, especially for Anderson.

With over twenty suspects an hour for fifteen hours each day. It was only after the second week that the rush ended, however she was sure that what she had seen in the minds of those unwilling to give up information freely would stick with her for the rest of her life.

Horrific images of debauchery and horrors she had never even imagined existed,

She had executed many on the spot for murder, multi-murder and rape-murder. One of those brought to her had even killed a Judge several years prior. When she had informed Dredd he had simply taken the offender into a special room.

Forty minutes later he had returned covered head to steel caped toe in a fine sheen of blood.

She did not ask nor did she look into his mind or the room. She knew that if captured in the streets, a "Judge-Killer" was subject to summary execution (death) under the law. But if arrested and processed under a bench or station house the sentence was execution (death), and unofficially, by slow means (death).

Thought she had heard of it being carried out, it was a rare occurrence as no one would be foolish enough to be taken alive after killing a Judge.

With the stream of perps going from a torrent to a trickle the interrogation squads set up to deal with the influx were returned to street service.

Peach Trees and both adjacent mega-blocks were under control of the Department of Justice by that time. Thus it was considered that one tenth of the sector was gang free thanks to the efforts of Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson.

Patrols were now regular through the area and a single Judge was now on permanent duty in each of the controlled blocks.

Anderson, herself now on indefinite tandem partnership with Dredd, had moved out of the Academy of Law barracks and had moved into a tandem apartment with Dredd. It was located on the hundred and fifty fourth floor of the 'Hall of Justice' mega-scraper. Over a hundred other Judges and support staff also lived on the same floor.

It was very Spartan and whilst she knew she had few personal belongings she had expected Dredd, a Judge of over three decades, to have a lot more than her but in actual fact he had far less. She had two large suitcases and he had a standard issue duffel bag with DREDD painted on the sides.

When she had asked him about his meagre amount of possessions, he had informed her that he had been quartered in the sector thirteen station barracks.

Even though his rank entitled him to apartment he had never really cared for such luxury as he had no need for the space as the Department of Justice refused to allow him to have a shooting range anyway.

She had watched him unpack his duffel. He was already wearing one uniform and his armour. He pulled out two sets of exercise gear, four uniform pants (standard), four uniform tops (standard) and one crisp formal dress uniform with gold lanyard. The three personal items that were his were a photo of him and someone when he must have been much younger. Another photo of someone and a small metal box.

The apartment itself was simple; as you entered there was a small kitchenette that faced the lounge and main living area, a large video screen and couch filled one side. An area opposite served as a small gym; it housed a punching bag, several multi-purpose trainers and a full set of weights. A hall led off from the main living area with her room to the right and Dredd's to the left. A communal bathroom was at the end the hall.

There was also an area built into the lounge that housed their armoury. Enough space for heavy weapons and four thousand rounds of lawgiver ammo each.

Overall, it was simple, but nice.

Tandem partnerships were rare in the Judge system. Most judges worked alone or in large four or eight person teams. The purpose of having two full judges working as one was so one could complement the other. In her case her physic abilities would complement Dredd's experience and skills.

However unlike a rookie judge being with a senior judge, a tandem partnership exposed both to more risk. Four or eight person teams were generally cycled every few weeks to prevent over reliance on any one member. Tandem partnerships required that reliance, without it or with too much of it both Judges could be lost. It was a high risk partnership but also one of high gain too.

Her room was sparse, an armor hanger in the corner and a small wardrobe next to a standard king single bed. A functional desk with a standard issue console filled out the other end of the room and a generic lamp in the other. Utilitarian was the first word that came to mind when Anderson looked it over. She was used to sharing a barracks with seven other rookie female Judges and before that she had been in a dorm of thirty-two cadets.

Being in a room that you could call all your own was very foreign to her.

Exciting but scary all rolled into a single moment.

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There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Anderson directed, sensing that it was Dredd on the other side.

The door slid back revealing Dredd, still dressed in his armour.

Dredd enquired if she required anything to which she replied she did not. He invited her into the lounge and they sat down with a mountain of paperwork between them.

"Anderson, we should make a few grounds rules…" He advised "Before we get too settled in."

Anderson wondered if he was going to ask if she would cook every other day or wanted a cleaning schedule, but the look she perceived in his visor covered face gave her pause. "Shoot!"

"Firstly" he removed his helmet "My name is Joseph Dredd, a clone of Chief Judge Fargo."

This was the first time she had actually seen Dredd without the visor. He had a very strong face with short cropped brown hair. There was something off about his eyes and his nose had been readily broken. Small scars criss-crossed his features.

She smiled, "Cassandra Anderson, mutant physic."

"Secondly, since we will be working and living together closely there is to be no fraternization on any level. We are the law and must be unbiased. Is that understood?"

She nodded.

"Food and meals will be delivered from the main kitchens and the service droids will clean the apartment. However I doubt we will sit down to many together or be here long enough to cause a mess."

She nodded.

"As special privilege of tandem service we have choice of whatever tools of justice we like for our own armoury. I do not know what your preference is but you handle an assault gun quite well. And thus I have already sent a request for such. If that is in error or you would like something additional just forward the change to central HQ."

"No that will be fine."

"Good, as for our duties it is simple we are tasked with the eradication of all serious crime in sector twelve. We will respond to serious crime detailing multiple murders, we will prioritize minor crimes and have the full authority to execute our mission as we see the need in keeping with the law."

Anderson nodded, "So we flush the bad guys out."

"Precisely." He said the last with a sneer.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Judge Dredd, Dredd (Movie) or 2000 AD (Comic). Wish I did but. :)

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**THANKS FOR READING: Please comment &amp; review.**

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Over the next fourteen days Anderson bore witness to the worst of humanity. She had followed Dredd's lead without hesitation. Every now and then he would look at her and she would simply nod left or right and he would head that way. Nine times out of ten her choice would hit pay dirt and they would either come across a scene of blood and guts. The remaining one out of ten would be a long drawn out fire fight between them and a bunch of criminals.

She had been shot twice more. Each time she had been patched up and on her feet by the next morning.

At the end of the cycle, fourteen days on (then two days off), she was exhausted. Dredd looked ready for more and had simply sat down on the lounge to clean his guns. It still amazed her that he acted like a machine.

She had tried reading him again but ever since he had learned of her gift his mental shields had been fortified. When she had attempted to push harder he had warned that his mind was full enough with just him in it.

She had begun to study him closely after that.

Every morning he would wake at zero four thirty hours (4:30AM), train in the lounge for exactly one hour, shower, breakfast and armour up to start the shift at zero six hundred hours (6AM) until twenty-one hundred hours (9PM). Come home, shower, eat, and train for another hour then bed by midnight.

She could not keep up with that schedule. Opting instead to get up at zero five fifteen (5:15AM) on the dot. Train for fifteen minutes hard, breakfast, shower and armour up. Start duty &amp; return. Then eat (while he showered) shower and turn it by twenty-two hundred hours (10PM).

They did complement each other well and he was becoming more and more accustomed to letting things go on faith. Right at the start, the council had approved that any evidence gathered under physic interrogation was admissible since she could project it into anyone mind if needed.

Dredd had initially disliked the idea but after the 100% correct assessment rate he had mellowed.

Though he still believed some of her judgements were too lenient.

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On the two days off she had no idea what to do.

Judges drew a small stipend that generally went towards mundane things like haircuts and other non-basic items (boot polish and comfortable underwear).

Food, lodging, clothes and ammo were all provided by the city. Judges did not have a personal life as such and recreational use of alcohol, coffee and anything that could impair the mind or body were not permissible as the they were the law and the law is never clouded.

In the academy she was informed that many judges save up their stipend to buy implants or cyborg components to make them better perform in the streets (aka live longer). Others would toe the line and have tattoos or cosmetic implants done. Thought not illegal or banned under the Department of Justice dress code, some cosmetic alterations interfered with the Judge ability to perform effectively and was thus frowned upon.

She had no idea what she would do with her stipend. She could get into any theatre of video complex for free but did not feel like going out, not even to a nice restaurant or such. In the back of her mind she also recognized that donations to charity by a Judge was a crime unless you donated to every charity so as to be unbiased.

"Dredd what do you do with your stipend?"

Dredd paused in his gun cleaning and looked up.

"Never spent it. Have no use for it. Just sits in the account."

"Surely you must have brought something?"

"The law provides me with everything I need. I need nothing more."

Anderson though that through and while it matched Dredd perfectly it did not seem to match her. The stipend each cycle was enough to buy two new dresses at most outlets or enough to procure a family banquet meal at a diner.

Resolving herself to simply leave it in her account she turned on the video player and watched a tacky soap opera that was playing. Dredd grunted when he saw one of the actors throw a parking ticket onto the curb. In her mind she was already tallying up the offence.

Illegal parking first offence one hundred credit fine plus cost for towing. Failure to follow a summons one week Iso-Cube, destruction of a summons four weeks in a Iso-Cube, littering ten credit fine for first offence.

The day was spent in front of the vid-player. Lunch was a sober affair; most lunches were spent at a diner or station house cafeteria. Anderson had decided to reheat a roast meal from the deep freeze and it had come out rather well considering it was her first time ever doing so. Dredd ate with silent single minded attention cutting his meat and vegetables into small bit sized pieces then eating each one quickly and efficiently.

Anderson savoured the meal remembering the days her mother would cook a roast.

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With the meal over, Dredd went back to detailing his weapons and Anderson flicked onto the training channel and watched a drill Judge explain how to use a lawgiver and other weapons in various situations.

About half way through the briefing Dredd said something.

"Wrong."

Anderson looked up "Pardon?"

"Wrong, a twenty millimetre caseless round's maximum lethal range is only two hundred meters, If you were shooting from the sixty-seventh floor of a block you would be at most a minimum three hundred meters from the ground ergo there is no point in using twenty millimetre caseless rounds to provide cover fire for Judges moving on the ground level."

Anderson through it through and realized he was absolutely right. After two hundred and fifty meters the round was travelling at terminal velocity of gravity and at best would feel like a rain drop against the skin.

"What would you suggest then?"

Dredd stopped and turned to the armoury. "At that range there is nothing the lawgiver can provide for effective cover fire. Incendiary, stun, full metal armour piecing rounds, all those would peter out at that sort of range. I would suggest high explosive rounds. Simple hit near the perps and you will make them duck if not outright terminate them. The other option would be signal flares; they are dead accurate up to nine hundred meters and even then go a good six hundred meters more with a respectable amount of accuracy. You could blind the attackers and mark the attackers position for Judges on the ground to take out. If you were good enough to nail a perp with a flare directly it would probably bounce off but it would scare them."

"Wow, I never thought of pointing a signal flare anywhere but up."

"When you're low on ammunition a signal flare at ten feet will kill."

"Ok, why are you not in the academy teaching this stuff?"

"I was, every single one of the cadets assigned to me graduated. They were the best I could make them. All of them were killed within a year serving the Law. The council believed that my teaching methods were too effective, that I drove them to go beyond the call of duty. So I returned to the street and wrote a manual for them to gloss over. As far as I am concerned they served the law as any Judge should."

"I read your comport, it was rather informative."

"It seems I will have to write an addition if they are teaching this on the vidnet. "

"Well it will fill in your days off."

"Seeing as you are the only physic so far in the Judges I suggest you think about doing something similar lest your unique skills die with you."

Anderson thought about that. She had never been called upon to do anything about her mutant abilities aside from use them. Then considering that she had no idea what do on her off days it was a smashing idea.

"Sounds like an interesting prospect but how do I go about doing it."

"Write it like a weapons manual. Insert felon here, focus on part A here while doing part B etc." Dredd turned away and began counting rounds of ammunition.


End file.
